Breaking Down ‘Survivor’s ‘Dumbest Tribal Council Ever’

The best reality shows are built on their most jaw-dropping, unbelievable moments, those times when everyone watching is baffled by what’s going on and loving every second of it. CBS‘ Survivor, created by Charlie Parsons, has seen quite a few of those in its more than two decades on air, with a majority of these scenes coming during an episode’s ‘Tribal Council’ portion. These are the climaxes of each installment, scenes that see the contestants vote to eliminate one of their own and hope that their strategy has kept them secure enough to remain another day in this fight for $1,000,000.

There have been some truly wild tribal councils over the years, with the best featuring jaw-dropping outbursts and shocking confessions, but few have reached the baffling heights of the one its 46th season just experienced. The entire episode saw backstabbing, dishonest interactions, and even a particularly tense game of hide-and-seek, leading to a tribal council that has left everyone on the island unsure about what to do next – and viewers cannot get enough. It’s a thrilling, confusing landmark in the show’s history that is pushing its players to fight harder than they ever have before, so let’s try to break it down and see what led to Survivor’s ‘dumbest council ever’.

Survivor

A reality show where a group of contestants are stranded in a remote location with little more than the clothes on their back. The lone survivor of this contest takes home a million dollars.

Cast

Jeff Probst

Seasons

46

Studio

CBS

Creator(s)

Charlie Parsons

‘Survivor’ Loves a Good Blindside

It’s understandable that Survivor 46’s wildest episode comes right after one of its most confusing blindsides. The entire season has seen the all-star Nami tribe, a group who never lost a challenge pre-merge, turn against one another, with the last episode seeing Venus Vafa and Liz Wilcox vote out their old tribe member Soda Thompson in the season’s first big blindside. Venus believed the move to be her doing, though Tevin Davis believes it was his, citing his voting for Venus instead of Soda as a way to preserve that relationship and secure Soda’s vote when he makes it to the final three. It’s a lie that sees Vafa cocky, Davis laughing at the player behind her back, and Wilcox thoroughly annoyed with both, feeling that she was also a big part of the move and wondering if she should play more strategically. This isn’t helped when Tevin and final former Nami Hunter McKnight join a tenuous alliance of six with Q Burdette, Maria Shrime Gonzalez, Charlie Davis, and Tiffany Nicole Ervin – though Wilcox shouldn’t be too jealous of being left out of this group, as she soon learns.

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This season has awed viewers with the big personalities on display; whether it be Vafa’s biting honesty or Kenzie Petty joining with Tiffany to comedically eviscerate everyone on the beach, this group has been the most outspoken of any ‘New Era’ (seasons 40-46) cast. One of the biggest personalities to emerge has been Burdette’s, with the man’s belief that he is the only person playing the game correctly leading him to constantly critique others and turn playful games of hide and seek into intense methods of determining who’s a big threat in the game (according to him, they all are). This competitive attitude is one that every other castaway has quickly adopted as the merged portion of the game had them realize just how ruthlessly people were willing to play. This was exemplified when they refused host Jeff Probst’s offer of rice (the players are starving virtually every day on the island) if four people sat out of playing for immunity, with only two people willing and the others making it clear: they know how cutthroat this game has become, and they’re ready to fight to stay in it.

Does This Even Count as a ‘Survivor’ Alliance?

An integral aspect of Survivor is alliances, players forming bonds with one another in the hopes that these relationships will help them get further in the game. While Burdetter seemed intent on preserving his new 6-person alliance, he did so at the expense of long-term ally Tiffany. Despite the two being together since day one, her nervousness about their new group and citing Maria as a threat had him going to the four and persuading them to vote her out – spilling that she has a secret immunity idol in the process. They seem content to follow this plan until Wilcox, motivated by her annoyance with him and recognizing that she’d only been skirting by in the game, decides that the best course of action is to eliminate Tevin before he becomes too much of a threat. This makes Burdette angry that people weren’t doing what he told them to and deciding to tell Hunter (Tevin’s main partner) everything. This led to him frantically trying to flip the plan back to Tifffany within their ‘alliance’ (if it could even be called that at this point) and confusing everyone as they went to tribal about whom to vote for – which is made even worse when Burdette asks everyone to eliminate him.

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This throws the already strained cast into chaos, with people leaving their seats to discuss and trying to coordinate votes in hushed whispers. Ervin urges him to stay, which is when he reveals with questionable certainty that her plan to vote out Davis wouldn’t have worked and she would have gone home, leading to her asking Charlie if that is the truth – and the man revealing that Burdette was in on the plan and had told them all about her idol. This is a bombshell revelation that shatters one of the game’s firmest relationships, and it’s just one of the countless messes occurring as others scramble and Davis tries convincing people to vote out his enemy Vafa. Everyone looks frustrated, dejected, and confused as they finally go to vote, with the usually laid-back Ben Katzman summing up all their feelings when he labels this the ‘dumbest tribal ever’. Despite the mess that preceded it, Wilcox’s plan works, and Tevin Davis is shocked by one more thing when he is eliminated.

‘Survivor’s’ Dumbest Tribal Ever Is the Most Fun to Watch

Survivor has seen some truly wild tribal councils, but rarely do they get as chaotic as this! It’s unfortunate that the entire ordeal was so aggravating for everyone involved; from everyone’s pained faces as they dealt with the aftermath of Burdette’s ask, it’s clear that one man’s actions will have repercussions all season long. But while those on the island are struggling to bring their strategies back together, watchers are thrilled over one of the most disorderly and enjoyable vote-outs the historic franchise has ever seen. This episode showed how brutal people are willing to play this season, every person willing to backstab and manipulate for the chances of winning that ultimate grand prize. But luckily for everyone in the audience, with players like Q involved, it’s sure to be an exciting watch every step of the way.

Survivor is available to stream on Paramount Plus in the U.S.

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